Sir: Two ideas that have been on my mind for some time have recently, and quite coincidentally, been raised at council – the location of the cenotaph, and how we mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Firstly, the cenotaph. I think it should be moved, but not across the river. In its current location. It has become a mini roundabout for cars wanting to turn left from King Street onto the Fifth Street bridge during the hours that a left-turn ban is in effect. You can’t turn left, so you loop around the Cenotaph and come back to Coffee Culture and turn right.
This is hardly showing respect for the fallen.
Secondly, the 150th anniversary. Let’s do something special to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Let’s not just ask for money from the feds to fund a downtown beautification project that we are planning to do anyway.
I have a suggestion that addresses both issues. Let’s purchase the land on the corner of Fourth and Wellington streets from Dan Warrener and Victor Boutin and create a town square – Confederation Square.
Imagine a tree-lined square, able to be used for parking during the week and on weekends the venue for a craft/farmers market, festivals, music, etc.
This would be a great asset to downtown and would be the ideal, respectful, location for the cenotaph.
John Willatt
Chatham
